Here are the recordings from the fantastic day we spent in St Ninians as part of CAF. Once again I’d like to give a massive thanks to everyone who took part in the day, I think a good time was had by all.

Enjoy!

Festival Launch Party: The Moss Project + Laurence McNaughton Quintet + Southbound + Matt Halsall – DJ set

The opening night of this year’s festival is hosted by Freedom Principle: come down and celebrate with us as we welcome three young Manchester bands to the stage, each with their individual sound, both raucous and reflective in equal parts, but effectively fusing their wide spectrum of influences, representing a new wave of original bands active on the local music scene.

Thanks to everyone who managed to make it down to the Mint Lounge last week for the Big Band Bonanza, it went really well and it was great to see so many faces in the audience. One of those faces was Chris Ackerley, a jazz journalist who has previously worked with Jazzwise, BBC Jazz on [...]

Once likened to “crossing the road in reverie and being run over by a passing bus – but in a pleasing way” Led Bib are both a maverick jazz band and an unlikely rock quintet. Taking their name from a protective garment used on patients during dental treatment, this East London based five-piece pride themselves [...]

JAZZ FACTOR 29.05.09
I spent the best part of today at the first in a series of workshop days organised by NW JazzWorks designed to link up local players/promoters with industry experts from around the country. Our panel of experts for the day were;
Stuart Johnson (musician, promoter, tour manager) – our Chair for the day
Oliver Weindling [...]

Acoustic Ladyland have been a fantastic force for change on the British jazz scene, not least because they don’t play anything recognisably jazzy. The band, who formed through their “mutual distaste for jazz sterility and respect for Jimi Hendrix” have gone from strength to strength with their most recent albums Last Chance Disco and Skinny [...]

Freedom Principle & The Noise Upstairs are hosting a night at this years Chorlton Arts Festival. It definitely promises to be a unique experience with a variety of groups performing in the fantastic venue that is St Ninians Church. There will be a mix of contemporary performance drawing influence from jazz/classical/electronic & Jewish music. We will also be staging several spacial-sound-jams which audience members will be encouraged to take part in. Oh yeh, and we’ll be supplying the food, if you bring the booze!

This should be an exciting Freedom Principle session with 3 contrasting acts for you to enjoy!
1st of April, Mint Lounge, Oldham st
7:30pm
Tickets £10 – available from www.skiddle.com

Polar Bear are a post-jazz band led by drummer Seb Rochford, who also features in the lineup of Acoustic Ladyland. They cite Deerhoof, Pit Er Pat, Thelonius Monk, Beethoven, [...]

[feat. Mike Walker & Stuart McCallum]
A night of amazing contemporary big band music featuring up-and-coming and established musicians from Manchester, including Mike Walker, Les Chisnall and Andy Schofield.
 
Andy Schofield & Jo McCallum Jazz Orchestra feat. Mike Walker & Stuart McCallum

An electrifying new 17 piece jazz orchestra storm through a selection of original works by North [...]